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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pop — music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. root — of a word
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mark — a trace
  18. root — the cause
  19. snap — to click
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pop — soda
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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