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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bank — of a river
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — magic
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — a stick
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rule — government
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rule — a law
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — a short time

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