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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: date · vault · branch · mate · fan · stick · wound · field

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. field — a subject
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — for sport
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — a safe
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. field — farmland
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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