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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — to grow
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. roll — a list
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lean — thin
  8. roll — a cake
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. band — a ring
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. kid — to tease
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — for sculpting

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