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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: kid · leaves · lean · march · date · club · vault · craft

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lean — thin
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. kid — child
  6. march — the month
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. craft — boats
  22. club — for golf
  23. vault — a safe
  24. club — a group

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