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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. last — finally
  6. fall — the season
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wax — to grow
  14. last — to go on
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fall — to drop
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — final
  19. bound — certain
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. vault — a safe
  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