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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · mark · pitcher · capital · branch · mug · wind · vault

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — a cup
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — a trace
  19. branch — a division
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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