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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wax — to grow
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. band — a music group
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cue — a hint
  13. kid — child
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. vault — a safe
  24. racket — for tennis

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