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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · branch · degree · vault · mate · spell · bass · rush

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. vault — a safe
  5. degree — from a university
  6. branch — a division
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bass — low music
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spell — a short time
  24. branch — of a tree

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