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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — boats
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. court — of law
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a ring
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pound — a weight
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. court — of a king
  13. craft — a skill
  14. court — for sport
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. band — a music group
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bass — low music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bass — the fish

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