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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pop — to visit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. branch — a division
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cold — not warm
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fine — high quality
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — an illness
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fine — all right
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bowl — to roll

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