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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. stand — to bear
  5. face — to confront
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pound — a weight
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spring — the season
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. face — part of the head
  13. season — of the year
  14. wax — to grow
  15. vault — a safe
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — in sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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