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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. squash — to crush
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. vault — a safe
  13. drill — the tool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. drill — a practice
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. drill — army training
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bat — the animal
  23. squash — the sport
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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