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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. season — in sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — to grow
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — certain
  15. season — of the year
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. net — in sport
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pitch — completely
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bound — tied together

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