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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. club — a group
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — a subject
  9. scale — size or range
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for dancing
  20. field — for sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. club — for golf
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. scale — in music

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