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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. drill — army training
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fork — in a road
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. safe — a strongbox

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