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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 120 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: rest · fall · fan · vault · lie · branch · stem · scale

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — a division
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rest — what's left
  9. scale — in music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rest — a break
  17. fall — the season
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stem — to come from
  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