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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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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: hand · roll · vault · wave · track · spring · branch · bowl

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. spring — the season
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hand — help
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. vault — a safe
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. track — a song
  17. spring — of water
  18. hand — in cards
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. roll — a list
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — a coil

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