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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: pop · bear · court · vault · stand · pound · branch · land

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bear — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. branch — a division
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. land — to come down
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — a country
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. court — for sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pop — to visit
  18. land — ground
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pop — soda
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pop — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. court — of law

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