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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. roll — a list
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. vault — a safe
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. swing — in golf
  17. file — a tool
  18. swing — music
  19. file — a document
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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