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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 120 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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ground — the earth
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ground — crushed
  7. shower — rain
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. scale — size or range
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — low music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. scale — in music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. ground — a position
  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