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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: stand · bank · date · pound · march · tear · vault · file

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bank — for money
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pound — a weight
  18. file — a tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. march — the month

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