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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rest — a break
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. last — finally
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. bound — tied together
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bound — obliged
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. last — final
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bound — certain
  20. branch — a division
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a document
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rest — what's left

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