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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. mate — a partner
  3. wax — to grow
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. track — a song
  7. mate — to breed
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. deal — to handle
  10. track — a path
  11. vault — a safe
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rest — what's left
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. root — of a word
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  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