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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. row — a line
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cue — a hint
  19. row — to paddle
  20. root — of a word
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bore — to drill

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