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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 116 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: kid · branch · vault · staff · kick · craft · spring · pitcher

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — child
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. craft — boats
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. staff — employees
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — a division
  14. staff — a stick
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. kid — to tease
  18. staff — employees
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. branch — of a bank

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