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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. track — to keep track
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. track — a song
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pound — a weight
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tube — a container
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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