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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — happening now
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — to rob
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — of water
  10. fine — high quality
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. current — electric
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fine — all right
  18. mug — a face
  19. wax — to grow
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — after costs
  24. wax — for sculpting

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