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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 116 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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Word bank
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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 · vault · kid · fall · lie · bound · degree · coach

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — temperature
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. degree — an amount
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bound — tied together
  18. vault — a safe
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — certain
  23. branch — a division
  24. fall — the season

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