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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. tear — to rip
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. tube — the underground
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — an amount
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — from a university
  16. vault — a safe
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. squash — to crush
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. net — for catching
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. squash — the sport
  24. tear — from crying

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