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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. vault — a safe
  4. root — of a word
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. root — the cause
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — to push
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bore — to tire
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. root — of a plant
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. press — newspapers

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