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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. key — in music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. band — a ring
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. key — for a lock
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. key — the most important part
  15. band — a music group
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. vault — a safe

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