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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. firm — decided
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wind — moving air
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. firm — a company
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. press — a publisher
  12. current — of water
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rule — a law
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — to grow
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. firm — steady
  21. current — happening now
  22. rule — government
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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