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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wax — to grow
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. season — in sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chair — a leader
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spell — magic
  23. season — to add flavour
  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