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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: date · temple · bass · vault · branch · wind · cabinet · prune

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. prune — to trim
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — a division
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bass — the fish
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. date — the fruit
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bass — low music

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