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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.

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

Word bank: arm · branch · bore · scale · vault · wax · cell · rule

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — in music
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wax — to grow
  10. branch — a division
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rule — a law
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — government

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