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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — a match
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. vault — a safe
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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