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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. scale — in music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. game — a match
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. wax — to grow

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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