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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. degree — from a university
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — a practice
  8. craft — boats
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. band — a ring
  12. club — a group
  13. stem — to come from
  14. band — a music group
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. degree — an amount
  18. drill — the tool
  19. craft — a skill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. degree — temperature
  23. drill — army training
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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