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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rush — hurry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. row — a line
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. club — for golf
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. shower — rain
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. row — to paddle
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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