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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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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: rush · branch · march · racket · vault · degree

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rush — hurry
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. degree — from a university
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. vault — a safe
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. degree — temperature
  16. march — the month
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. racket — for tennis

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