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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: vault · tear · file · branch · cue · trunk · scale · perch

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cue — a signal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. branch — a division
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. tear — from crying
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. file — a document
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — size or range

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