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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. file — a document
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. perch — the fish
  10. net — for catching
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — to bend
  13. vault — a safe
  14. lean — thin
  15. file — a tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — in sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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