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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. scale — size or range
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — boats
  5. vault — a safe
  6. scale — in music
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kid — child
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. season — in sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. season — of the year
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bank — of a river

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