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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. object — a thing
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — a stone
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. ball — a dance
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rock — music
  10. object — to protest
  11. field — for sport
  12. tube — a container
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. object — an aim
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. branch — a division

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