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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. hand — help
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — a subject
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. swing — music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — to play on
  22. vault — a safe
  23. branch — a division
  24. field — farmland

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