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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: branch · lie · march · stem · vault · band · wind · degree

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. march — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. vault — a safe
  9. degree — from a university
  10. branch — a division
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lie — to recline
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — moving air
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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