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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. track — a path
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cold — not warm
  6. track — a song
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bass — the fish
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. vault — a safe
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bass — low music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wax — for sculpting

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