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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · object · branch · wound · degree · mine · vault · chip

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chip — to eat
  11. branch — a division
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. object — a thing
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wound — an injury
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chip — for betting
  18. tube — a container
  19. vault — a safe
  20. object — an aim
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — for digging
  24. degree — temperature

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