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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bank — for money
  7. spring — the season
  8. bank — for money
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. field — farmland
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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