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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: temple · vault · straw · cold · pass · bank · cap · season

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bank — of a river
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cap — a lid
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. season — of the year
  8. cold — an illness
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. season — in sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bank — for money
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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