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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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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: ball · branch · plane · tear · straw · degree · wake · vault

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — from crying
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tear — from crying
  7. degree — from a university
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wake — a trail
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. degree — an amount
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. degree — temperature
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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