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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wax — to grow
  12. content — happy
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — the amount
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. staff — a stick

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