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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — electricity
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. charge — a price
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wax — to grow
  19. vault — a safe
  20. charge — in control
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bass — the fish

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