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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — the cause
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hand — in cards
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — rain
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — after costs
  19. root — of a plant
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — a division
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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