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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: toast · kid · branch · shower · bay · vault · bound · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bound — certain
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kid — child
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rash — a series
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bay — a horse colour

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