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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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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: mine · bound · field · vault · pop · wax · cabinet · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — a subject
  12. pop — soda
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. field — for sport
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. field — farmland
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wax — to grow

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