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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: kid · tear · vault · coach · branch · chest · bark · firm

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. firm — steady
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bark — to shout
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kid — child
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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