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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chest — a box
  3. land — a country
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — ground
  16. pop — soda
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. land — to come down
  20. rest — what's left
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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