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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. tear — to rip
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. current — of water
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — a weight
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. net — after costs
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — a safe
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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