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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: pit · branch · vault · shower · spring · toast · hand · pop

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pop — to visit
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spring — of water
  8. vault — a safe
  9. toast — bread
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pop — music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. spring — the season
  19. hand — help
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pit — in a race
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. shower — rain

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