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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. club — for dancing
  6. object — to protest
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. club — for golf
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. saw — the tool
  20. object — a thing
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. club — a group
  23. object — an aim
  24. fine — high quality

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