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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. press — a publisher
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tube — the underground
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. press — newspapers
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tube — a container
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. bank — for money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bank — of a river
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. vault — a safe

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