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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. shower — rain
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. vault — a safe
  15. band — a ring
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rash — a series
  19. craft — boats
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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