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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: root · nail · vault · lean · branch · kid · march · craft

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. march — music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. lean — thin
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. root — of a word
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. kid — child
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lean — to bend
  21. branch — a division
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — the cause
  24. march — the month

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