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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: mine · vault · can · rash · branch · net · court · wound

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. net — for catching
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rash — hasty
  11. court — for sport
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — of law
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — a tin
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — in sport

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