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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · vault · content · scale · craft · march

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. march — music
  3. content — happy
  4. tear — to rip
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. march — the month
  7. craft — a skill
  8. content — the amount
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. craft — boats
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. vault — a safe
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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