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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pass — a permit
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. can — a tin
  8. vault — a safe
  9. drill — army training
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. wax — to grow
  19. drill — a practice
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. plane — a tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. file — a tool

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