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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. vault — a safe
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bank — for money
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — not warm
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bear — the animal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pitcher — a jug

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