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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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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: roll · rock · branch · fall · cap · vault · mug · cold

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fall — to drop
  4. roll — a list
  5. mug — a face
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — the season
  10. branch — a division
  11. rock — a stone
  12. roll — a cake
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cold — an illness

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