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

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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