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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rest — a break
  11. capital — a city
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — what's left
  19. capital — money
  20. vault — a safe
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tear — from crying

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