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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wind — moving air
  7. band — a ring
  8. mark — a trace
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wax — to grow
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. field — farmland
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. vault — a safe
  19. field — for sport
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. field — a subject
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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