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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: bank · season · hand · rash · row · object · vault · staff

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — of a river
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — in cards
  6. row — a line
  7. bank — for money
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. object — a thing
  10. rash — a series
  11. row — to paddle
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. object — to protest
  17. bank — for money
  18. object — an aim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hand — help
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. season — of the year
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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