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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: vault · bay · board · rash · wound · firm · branch · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. clip — a video
  14. rash — a series
  15. wound — an injury
  16. firm — decided
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. board — a committee
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. vault — a safe
  21. board — to get on
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — hasty

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