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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — boats
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rule — government
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bass — low music
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tear — to rip
  14. plane — a tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rule — a law
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. tear — from crying
  22. row — a line
  23. craft — a skill
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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