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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 · hand · bound · wake · pitch · net · trunk · vault

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bound — tied together
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitch — completely
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — for catching
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — obliged
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wake — a trail
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitch — a sports field

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