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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stock — shares
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stock — goods
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spell — letters
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. file — a line of people
  12. vault — a safe
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — magic
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. band — a music group
  19. file — a tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. file — a document
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. craft — boats

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