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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. press — newspapers
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. press — a publisher
  9. march — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stem — to come from
  12. march — the month
  13. track — to keep track
  14. press — to push
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a path
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a song
  23. scale — in music
  24. march — the month

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