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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mate — to breed
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. present — there
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — to grow
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. clip — to cut
  15. present — the time now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — a gift
  20. craft — boats
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mate — a friend
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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