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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. key — in music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. key — for a lock
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. plane — a tool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. row — a line
  21. toast — bread
  22. wax — to grow
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. plane — in geometry

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