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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: file · game · sharp · branch · vault · kick · rush · root

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. game — wild animals
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rush — hurry
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. file — a tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. file — a document
  14. branch — a division
  15. kick — in football
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. game — a match
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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