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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. branch — a division
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bat — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pop — soda
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pop — music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. arm — part of the body

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