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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — help
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rest — what's left

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