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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ground — a position
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. swing — music
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. swing — in golf
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — a tool
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ground — crushed
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. dip — to sink

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