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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stock — goods
  10. ground — a position
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — shares
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ground — crushed
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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