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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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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: saw · tube · branch · pop · staff · vault · court · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — to visit
  3. vault — a safe
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — the season
  6. court — of law
  7. pop — music
  8. court — for sport
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — a container
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pop — soda
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. staff — a stick
  20. court — of a king
  21. tube — the underground
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. saw — the tool

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