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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: branch · current · coach · pound · ruler · court · vault · date

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. branch — a division
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. current — electric
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — of law
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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