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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 · sharp · ground · wound · branch · arm · wax · cue

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — a division
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ground — the earth
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cue — for pool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — a hint
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cue — a signal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. branch — of a bank

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