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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: branch · bank · wave · key · spring · vault · chest · clip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spring — the season
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. clip — a video
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bank — of a river
  9. branch — a division
  10. spring — a coil
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. clip — to cut
  13. key — in music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chest — a box
  16. bank — for money
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spring — of water
  21. key — for a lock
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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