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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — a path
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — a song
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bore — to drill
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pound — for dogs

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