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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · straw · branch · vault · hand · scale · degree · root

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. saw — the tool
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. vault — a safe
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. root — of a word
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hand — help
  22. scale — size or range
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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