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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: deal · wind · branch · board · ground · vault · fork · rash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. branch — a division
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. board — to get on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wind — moving air
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — a series
  16. deal — to handle
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. board — a committee
  23. fork — in a road
  24. deal — an agreement

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