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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. field — a subject
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — the season
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — thin
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. field — for sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — hasty
  23. vault — a safe
  24. trunk — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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