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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spring — of water
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. face — to confront
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — a safe
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spring — the season
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spring — a coil
  18. scale — in music
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wax — to grow
  22. face — to point toward
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fan — a supporter

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