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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. firm — decided
  12. net — in sport
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. firm — a company
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cap — of ice
  20. net — for catching
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. firm — steady
  24. cap — a lid

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