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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bat — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. craft — boats
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ground — a position
  11. craft — a skill
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. band — a ring
  14. kid — to tease
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a rubber band

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