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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 116 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — to wash
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — rain
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. deal — to handle
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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