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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. row — a line
  3. kick — in football
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — a division
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — an amount
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cell — in biology

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