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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. land — a country
  6. cell — a phone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — rain
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. land — to come down
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. branch — a division
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — to wash

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