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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. season — in sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wax — to grow
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cell — in biology
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — of the year
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. season — to add flavour

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