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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · chip · vault · roll · club · hand

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. club — for golf
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. club — a group
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. branch — a division
  12. roll — a cake
  13. hand — in cards
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. roll — a list
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. club — for dancing
  18. vault — a safe

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