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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wax — to grow
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — low music
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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