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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: clip · bowl · straw · branch · bank · board · pitch · vault

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pitch — completely
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bank — of a river
  10. clip — a video
  11. vault — a safe
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bank — for money
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. board — a committee
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. board — to get on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — to cut

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