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

Word bank: root · degree · nail · branch · kid · deal · wind · vault

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. root — of a plant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — a division
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. degree — from a university
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. root — the cause
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — a safe
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. kid — to tease
  20. root — of a word
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. degree — temperature
  23. deal — to handle
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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