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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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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: track · branch · tear · vault · bat · snap · nail · straw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — a division
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tear — to rip
  12. snap — to click
  13. bat — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. track — a song
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. track — to keep track
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — from crying

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