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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 116 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — of ice
  6. board — to get on
  7. cap — a lid
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. scale — in music
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a committee
  14. cap — a hat
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. vault — a safe
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. field — farmland
  24. board — a flat piece

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