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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. board — a committee
  3. toast — bread
  4. vault — a safe
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. track — a path
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. track — a song
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. tear — to rip
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. board — to get on
  24. degree — temperature

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