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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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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: date · branch · roll · season · vault · row · nail · press

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. roll — a cake
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. press — a publisher
  6. row — to paddle
  7. season — of the year
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. season — in sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. vault — a safe
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. branch — a division
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. roll — a list
  19. row — a line
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. date — the fruit
  24. press — newspapers

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