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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spring — of water
  4. swing — to play on
  5. vault — a safe
  6. swing — music
  7. bulb — for light
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. clip — to cut
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — for catching
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — a video
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — in sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spring — the season
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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