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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tear — to rip
  3. vault — a safe
  4. suit — clothes
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — after costs
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. suit — to fit
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tube — a container
  23. net — for catching
  24. tear — from crying

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