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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · lash · degree · bank · swing · file · squash · cabinet

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. file — a document
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bank — for money
  6. vault — a safe
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. file — a line of people
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a tool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. swing — music
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bank — of a river

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com