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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to bend
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. file — a line of people
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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