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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. vault — a safe
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ball — a dance
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ball — a great time
  12. press — a publisher
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lean — to bend
  16. face — to confront
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. press — to push
  19. lean — thin
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. face — part of the head

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