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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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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bore — to drill
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — government
  10. bat — the animal
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. season — of the year
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rule — a law
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. season — in sport

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