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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · capital · jam · staff · vault · branch · perch · mine

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. branch — a division
  5. vault — a safe
  6. staff — a stick
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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