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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fine — high quality
  9. land — to come down
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. land — a country
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. game — a match
  23. vault — a safe
  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