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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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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. branch — a division
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. vault — a safe
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. dip — to sink
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to tire
  20. scale — in music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. track — a path
  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