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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: bear · prune · chest · fine · wound · vault · branch · file

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fine — high quality
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bear — the animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — all right
  19. file — a tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. file — a document
  24. wound — an injury

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