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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fall — the season
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. branch — a division
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — for golf
  20. bound — tied together
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — for dancing
  24. file — a tool

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