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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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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 · chest · safe · fall · vault · hand · board · rest

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rest — what's left
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chest — of your body
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. board — to get on
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rest — a break

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