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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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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 · key · vault · club · bass · cold · patient · trunk

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. club — for dancing
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cold — an illness
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. branch — a division
  11. key — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. key — the most important part
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. club — for golf
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — for a lock

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