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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mate — to breed
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. row — a line
  10. lean — thin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cell — a phone
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — a friend
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. vault — a safe
  20. lean — to bend
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. march — music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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