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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. last — final
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mark — a trace
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bat — the animal
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bat — in an idiom

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