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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cold — not warm
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. vault — a safe
  10. scale — in music
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bear — the animal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cold — an illness
  20. branch — a division
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cold — the Cold War

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