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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. branch — a division
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pass — to spend time

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