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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: vault · land · jam · safe · wound · spell · chest · branch

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. spell — magic
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — a country
  12. branch — a division
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. chest — a box
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spell — letters
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — to come down

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