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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bass — low music
  4. craft — a skill
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cap — a lid
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lean — thin
  14. craft — boats
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cap — a hat
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lean — to bend
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bass — the fish

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