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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: shower · sharp · can · scale · bound · chair · branch · vault

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. vault — a safe
  5. can — to be able to
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bound — obliged
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bound — tied together
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. scale — size or range
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. scale — in music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. branch — a division
  23. bound — certain
  24. shower — to wash

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