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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 124 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. wax — to grow
  3. object — an aim
  4. chip — to eat
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. vault — a safe
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pound — a weight
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. object — to protest
  18. row — to paddle
  19. object — a thing
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wax — in the ear
  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