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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: ground · vault · bear · cold · game · wave · mark · branch

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. game — a match
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. branch — a division
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cold — an illness
  10. ground — crushed
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ground — a position
  13. bear — the animal
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cold — not warm
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. game — wild animals

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