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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tube — a container
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bound — tied together
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fall — the season
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bound — obliged
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bound — certain
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wake — a trail
  24. capital — a city

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