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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. track — a song
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. board — a committee
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. track — a path
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. board — to get on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rash — hasty
  15. track — to keep track
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rash — a series
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. vault — a safe

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