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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: mug · branch · cabinet · tear · toast · vault · cell · bass

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. branch — a division
  11. tear — to rip
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. toast — bread
  20. cell — a phone
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mug — a face
  24. bass — the fish

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