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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: bound · rock · vault · kid · wind · branch · calf · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — to tease
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rock — music
  12. kid — child
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rock — a stone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — certain
  21. branch — a division
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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