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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. field — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bank — for money
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bank — of a river
  10. tear — to rip
  11. field — farmland
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spring — the season
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — of water
  20. bank — for money
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. field — a subject
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — a coil

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