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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — for sport
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bank — for money
  23. chest — a box
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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