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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — a stick
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. land — to come down
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. roll — a list
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. land — ground
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — for digging
  21. roll — a cake
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — to grow
  24. vault — a safe

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