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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 116 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: vault · track · ruler · scale · branch · season · bear · fine

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bear — the animal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. scale — size or range
  18. branch — a division
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. scale — in music

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