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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. vault — a safe
  3. net — for catching
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. court — for sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cold — an illness
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — in sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. court — of a king
  19. net — after costs
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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