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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 · bowl · tear · nail · vault · march · current · foot

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. march — music
  3. current — happening now
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. current — electric
  8. foot — a measure
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — a safe
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — from crying
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. current — of water
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. bowl — a football final

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