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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. prune — to trim
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. object — a thing
  5. capital — money
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. capital — a city
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. root — of a plant
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. current — electric
  16. vault — a safe
  17. lean — to bend
  18. current — of water
  19. root — of a word
  20. current — happening now
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. root — the cause

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