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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 116 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: kid · vault · can · kick · game · branch · bat · prune

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kick — in football
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. can — a tin
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. can — to be able to
  15. game — a match
  16. bat — the animal
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bat — for baseball

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