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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. kid — to tease
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. kid — child
  6. fall — to drop
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spell — letters
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — the season
  13. wax — to grow
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — magic
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spell — a short time
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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