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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.

Make a worksheet

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: branch · leaves · pitcher · land · safe · chest · vault · press

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. branch — a division
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — a country
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. vault — a safe
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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