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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — certain
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. race — a contest
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pop — soda
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pop — to visit
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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