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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — to tire
  11. race — humankind
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rule — a law
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. wax — in the ear

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