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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · roll · season · bark · mine · pit · vault · degree

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. roll — a cake
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bark — to shout
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. branch — a division
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. roll — a list
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. season — to add flavour

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