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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — the underground
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wax — to grow
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — a container
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — hurry
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wax — in the ear

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