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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stock — shares
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — to rip
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stock — goods
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. wax — to grow
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. root — the cause
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. tear — from crying

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