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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — in music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. tear — to rip
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fall — to drop
  11. root — the cause
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spring — of water
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a word
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fall — the season

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