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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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Word bank
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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: march · lean · wake · vault · bank · dip · chair · spell

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. march — the month
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bank — for money
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bank — for money
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. dip — to sink
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spell — magic
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spell — letters
  24. lean — to rest against

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