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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — of a word
  5. wax — to grow
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. root — the cause
  10. rock — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. club — a group
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. hand — in cards
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. root — of a plant

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