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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wax — to grow
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. prune — to trim
  18. vault — a safe
  19. tube — a container
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tube — the underground
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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