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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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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: lean · degree · wake · deal · stock · vault · bay · branch

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — to bend
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. degree — an amount
  6. branch — a division
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stock — shares
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wake — a trail
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wake — before a funeral

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