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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. key — in music
  7. field — for sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — a subject
  11. branch — a division
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. court — for sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — of a king
  16. ball — a dance
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. court — of law
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ball — a great time
  23. field — farmland
  24. key — the most important part

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