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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 120 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 · squash · board · cabinet · rash · spring · safe · branch

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. branch — a division
  6. squash — the sport
  7. board — to get on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. board — a committee
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — the season
  19. squash — to crush
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rash — a series
  24. cabinet — ministers

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