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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. file — a tool
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. row — a line
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — to grow
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. drill — army training
  9. file — a document
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — to paddle
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. file — a line of people
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bass — the fish
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bass — low 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