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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: hide · fall · cell · vault · fan · row · branch · drill

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. branch — a division
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. drill — a practice
  11. row — to paddle
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. row — a line
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. drill — army training
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — a safe
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fall — the season
  24. cell — in a prison

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