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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: vault · shower · wind · branch · mouse · temple · toast · stock

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. shower — to wash
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. shower — rain
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. toast — bread
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stock — goods
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wind — moving air
  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