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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. vault — a safe
  4. drill — army training
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — for catching
  7. capital — money
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rock — a stone
  11. drill — the tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. capital — a city
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — after costs
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. drill — a practice

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