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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bear — the animal
  7. suit — in cards
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. degree — temperature
  12. court — of a king
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. court — of law
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. vault — a safe

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