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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wax — to grow
  4. drill — army training
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rash — a series
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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