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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 · ground · content · mug · vault · spell · rock · land

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rock — music
  3. spell — letters
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spell — magic
  10. ground — the earth
  11. branch — a division
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ground — a position

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