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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. track — a path
  3. bank — of a river
  4. press — to push
  5. bank — for money
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. track — a song
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. press — newspapers
  17. scale — in music
  18. vault — a safe
  19. scale — size or range
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wax — in the ear

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