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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. snap — to click
  4. tube — a container
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bat — the animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. content — the amount
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — happy
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. tube — in a tire

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