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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. tube — a container
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tear — to rip
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. staff — employees
  10. chair — a leader
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. squash — to crush
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tear — from crying
  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