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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 · hide · pit · tear · fall · squash · stem · vault

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. tear — from crying
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pit — a hole
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pit — in a race
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — a safe
  20. tear — from crying
  21. branch — a division
  22. tear — to rip
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fall — the season

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