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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. land — ground
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bore — to drill
  7. capital — money
  8. land — a country
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bore — to tire
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wax — to grow
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pop — music
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pop — soda
  22. land — to come down
  23. craft — boats
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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