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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: trunk · bass · sharp · row · spring · vault · branch · bank

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. sharp — clever
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. row — a line
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bass — low music
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bank — for money
  16. branch — a division
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bank — for money
  19. vault — a safe
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bass — the fish
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bank — of a river

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