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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spring — a coil
  3. degree — from a university
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. land — to come down
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spring — of water
  13. vault — a safe
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spring — the season
  18. drill — army training
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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