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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bound — certain
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pop — to visit
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fine — all right
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lean — thin
  14. fine — high quality
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bound — tied together
  19. vault — a safe
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pop — soda
  22. bound — obliged
  23. can — a tin
  24. pop — music

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