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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: shower · branch · game · vault · dip · court · staff · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. game — wild animals
  3. court — of law
  4. staff — employees
  5. branch — a division
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of a king
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chest — of your body
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. shower — to wash
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. dip — to sink
  17. shower — rain
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. staff — a stick
  21. vault — a safe
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. game — a match
  24. dip — to dunk

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