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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kid — child
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bass — low music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. kid — to tease
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. sharp — with an edge

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