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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. club — for dancing
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spring — a coil
  6. content — the amount
  7. plane — a tool
  8. board — a committee
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. content — happy
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spring — the season
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. scale — in music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spring — of water
  19. club — a group
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. board — to get on
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. club — for golf
  24. scale — size or range

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