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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bound — certain
  9. kid — child
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pound — a weight
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. vault — a safe

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