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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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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: bowl · vault · scale · chip · face · branch · can · cold

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cold — an illness
  3. vault — a safe
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. face — to confront
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cold — not warm
  14. branch — a division
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. can — a tin
  20. chip — for betting
  21. scale — in music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cold — the Cold War

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