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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: pass · branch · bear · arm · march · chair · vault · cell

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pass — a permit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cell — in biology
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bear — the animal
  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