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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: cell · plane · rash · kid · jam · vault · branch · bass

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. kid — child
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cell — in biology
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bass — low music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. kid — to tease
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — the fish
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. branch — a division
  24. plane — in geometry

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