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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stock — shares
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rock — music
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. kid — child
  10. club — a group
  11. field — farmland
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stock — goods
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. club — for golf
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. kid — to tease
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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