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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spell — magic
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tube — a container
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — a match
  18. cap — a lid
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tube — in a tire

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