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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 124 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. branch — a division
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. dip — to sink
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. stem — of a plant

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