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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. last — final
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. foot — a measure
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — finally
  16. vault — a safe
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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