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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — to grow
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — the tool

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