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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. last — finally
  4. vault — a safe
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — to grow
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — final
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stand — to bear
  18. lean — thin
  19. last — to go on
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lean — to bend

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