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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.

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: hand · vault · patient · stock · toast · present · branch · mine

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — there
  6. hand — help
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — bread
  11. mine — for digging
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. branch — a division
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — shares
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. present — the time now

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