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

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — in music
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. roll — a list
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ball — a great time
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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