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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — the cause
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wax — to grow
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stem — to come from
  23. root — of a word
  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