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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 124 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mug — a face
  5. mate — a partner
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wind — moving air
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mug — a cup
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — to grow
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pop — soda
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pop — music
  22. roll — a list
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. temple — a place of worship

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