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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. race — humankind
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kick — in football
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. race — a contest
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. current — electric
  20. race — the arms race
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. kick — a thrill
  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