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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. track — a path
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. track — to keep track
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — for digging
  14. row — to paddle
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kid — child
  18. branch — a division
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — a song
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. vault — a safe

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