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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 120 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 · track · vault · mark · wound · capital · chip · wax

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. track — a song
  5. capital — a city
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. capital — money
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mark — a grade
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. track — a path

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