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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: branch · stick · bat · cell · vault · hide · season · tear

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in biology
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. season — in sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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