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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. club — for golf
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. club — a group
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. vault — a safe
  10. face — to confront
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. face — part of the head
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — not warm

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