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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a document
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bore — to tire
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wax — to grow
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rest — what's left
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a tool
  21. key — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bore — to drill

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