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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stock — shares
  8. spring — the season
  9. fine — all right
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. march — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stock — goods
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — high quality
  23. tear — from crying
  24. vault — a safe

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