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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. vault — a safe
  16. shower — to wash
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. content — the amount
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. saw — the tool
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. shower — rain
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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