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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mine — for digging
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mug — to rob
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — in a race
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — finally
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mug — a cup
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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