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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — to come down
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. land — ground
  8. pop — soda
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rest — a break
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. land — a country
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pop — music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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