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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. band — a ring
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ground — a position
  6. vault — a safe
  7. band — a music group
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. perch — the fish
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. tube — a container
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — a division
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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