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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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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 · wind · march · pass · fine · branch · pit · net

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — the month
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. vault — a safe
  7. branch — a division
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — the month
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. net — for catching
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. march — music

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