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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rush — hurry
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. pound — a weight
  18. craft — a skill
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fine — all right

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