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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. court — of law
  3. fall — the season
  4. track — a song
  5. branch — a division
  6. lie — to recline
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. clip — for paper
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. track — a path
  11. vault — a safe
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fall — to drop
  14. clip — to cut
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. court — of a king
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — a video
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — for sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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