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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bat — the animal
  5. band — a ring
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. march — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stock — goods
  11. band — a music group
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lean — to bend
  17. stock — shares
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rest — a break
  24. lean — thin

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