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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. content — happy
  3. vault — a safe
  4. content — the amount
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. key — in music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — in a race
  16. shower — to wash
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. shower — rain
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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