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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. file — a line of people
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. file — a document
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. branch — a division
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. staff — a stick
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bulb — for light
  16. vault — a safe
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — of a tree

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