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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: arm · branch · perch · vault · press · court · bear · ground

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. vault — a safe
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. court — for sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — a position
  10. press — a publisher
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — of law
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. branch — a division
  20. press — to push
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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