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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wax — to grow
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. band — a ring
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. staff — a stick
  13. band — a music group
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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