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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — of a river
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stock — goods
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chest — a box
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ground — a position
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stock — a soup base

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