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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: spell · deal · cold · bank · race · mate · vault · leaves

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bank — for money
  4. cold — an illness
  5. race — humankind
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mate — a friend
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. race — a contest
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bank — of a river
  18. race — the arms race
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cold — not warm
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spell — magic

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