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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: wind · vault · fan · branch · degree · snap · bulb · saw

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. snap — to click
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. degree — temperature

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