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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mine — for digging
  3. charge — a price
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. root — of a word
  9. scale — in music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. charge — electricity
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. branch — a division
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — the cause
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. charge — in control
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ball — a dance

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