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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spell — letters
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spell — magic
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. band — a ring
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lean — to bend
  15. key — in music
  16. lean — thin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. vault — a safe
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hide — to keep secret

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