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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. drill — army training
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mug — to rob
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mug — a face
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. drill — a practice
  20. toast — bread
  21. cue — for pool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bark — to shout

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