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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to click
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tube — a container
  7. kid — child
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stock — shares
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stock — goods
  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