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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: track · straw · branch · race · trunk · dip · perch · vault

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. perch — the fish
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. race — humankind
  6. track — a path
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. race — a contest
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. track — to keep track
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. track — a song
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. vault — a safe
  23. race — the arms race
  24. dip — to sink

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