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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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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: pitcher · vault · branch · scale · hand · rule · net · wind

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. hand — in cards
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rule — a law
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rule — government
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — in music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — in sport
  22. branch — a division
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. vault — a safe

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