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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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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: cold · degree · vault · deal · craft · stick · branch · last

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. vault — a safe
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cold — an illness
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. cold — not warm
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. last — final
  18. degree — temperature
  19. craft — boats
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. degree — an amount
  23. craft — a skill
  24. branch — a division

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