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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bound — tied together
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. firm — a company
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — for digging
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. shower — rain
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. firm — decided
  24. bound — certain

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