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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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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: branch · wake · straw · safe · vault · fork · band · mug

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. band — a ring
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mug — a face
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. band — a music group
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. branch — a division
  21. fork — in a road
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mug — a cup

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