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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kid — child
  20. wax — to grow
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stem — to come from

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