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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. current — electric
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — the season
  10. current — of water
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — of water
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. club — a group
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. current — happening now
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. club — for golf
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spring — a coil
  24. club — for dancing

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