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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. club — for golf
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. club — a group
  5. rash — a series
  6. shower — to wash
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. rash — hasty
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. club — for dancing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — the cause
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. vault — a safe
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — rain
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. scale — in music

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