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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pit — a hole
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cell — a phone
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spell — letters
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. net — in sport
  23. vault — a safe
  24. net — for catching

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