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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. degree — an amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. degree — from a university
  20. craft — a skill
  21. branch — a division
  22. craft — boats
  23. bound — obliged
  24. degree — temperature

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