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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. mine — for digging
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cap — of ice
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fine — all right
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cap — a lid
  21. band — a music group
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. prune — to trim

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