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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: hide · branch · vault · cap · straw · content · mine · bark

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. content — the amount
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bark — to shout
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. branch — a division
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. content — happy

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