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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.

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: vault · branch · bark · clip · pitch · shower · ball · band

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. clip — to cut
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. clip — for paper
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bark — to shout
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitch — completely
  20. branch — a division
  21. vault — a safe
  22. clip — a video
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ball — a dance

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