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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bear — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. file — a line of people
  12. board — to get on
  13. file — a document
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. file — a tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. arm — a part of something

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