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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.

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: pitcher · wind · vault · net · bat · scale · branch · squash

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — for catching
  8. bat — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. scale — size or range
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. net — after costs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. net — in sport
  21. squash — the sport
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. scale — for weighing

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