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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: branch · game · rash · hand · stem · roll · wound · vault

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — a division
  3. roll — a list
  4. rash — a series
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — hasty
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. game — wild animals
  14. roll — a cake
  15. hand — in cards
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. hand — help
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. game — a match
  21. stem — to come from
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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