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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 120 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: bowl · key · can · chest · bank · tear · press · vault

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chest — of your body
  4. key — the most important part
  5. vault — a safe
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chest — a box
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — to push
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bowl — a football final

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