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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bat — the animal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. face — to confront
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wax — to grow
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fall — the season
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — in sport
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — after costs
  23. face — part of the head
  24. net — for catching

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