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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: stem · branch · bark · arm · bay · pitch · kid · vault

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — child
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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