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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. content — happy
  3. lean — thin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. current — electric
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. current — happening now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. content — the amount
  12. vault — a safe
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. scale — in music
  20. capital — money
  21. current — of water
  22. scale — size or range
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — for weighing

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