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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rash — hasty
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — to wash
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. shower — rain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fall — the season
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fall — to drop

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