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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. drill — army training
  3. cue — a signal
  4. staff — employees
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — a safe
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — farmland
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. cue — for pool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. drill — a practice
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. drill — the tool
  17. field — a subject
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wax — to grow
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wax — in the ear

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