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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rest — a break
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fall — to drop

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