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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.

Make a worksheet

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: vault · branch · wave · track · last · wound · charge · stem

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. branch — a division
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. last — final
  8. charge — in control
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. vault — a safe
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — a path
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — to go on
  18. charge — a price
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. last — finally
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wound — an injury
  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