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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 120 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fall — to drop
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — a permit
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fall — the season
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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