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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: wave · cold · branch · ruler · can · vault · track · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. branch — a division
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cold — not warm
  9. court — for sport
  10. vault — a safe
  11. can — a tin
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. track — a song
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. court — of a king
  18. can — to be able to
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a path

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