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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tube — the underground
  4. spring — the season
  5. vault — a safe
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fine — all right
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tube — a container
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bass — low music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chip — for betting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. face — to confront

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