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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: wake · fork · temple · capital · vault · rash · current · branch

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — a trail
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. current — electric
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. branch — a division
  19. current — of water
  20. capital — a city
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. temple — a place of worship

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