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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pop — soda
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pop — music
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rule — government
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pop — to visit
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rule — a law
  20. row — a line
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tube — a container
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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