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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — a safe
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — a division
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. degree — from a university
  23. march — music
  24. bank — for money

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