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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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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: vault · arm · chip · degree · race · stem · can · branch

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. can — to be able to
  6. branch — a division
  7. degree — from a university
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — a tin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. can — a tin
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. race — a contest
  17. chip — for betting
  18. vault — a safe
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stem — to come from
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chip — in a computer

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