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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · branch · mine · ball · drill · march · vault · ground

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. drill — the tool
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. branch — a division
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ball — a dance
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ground — a position
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. drill — army training
  23. mine — for digging
  24. vault — a safe

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