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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · mate · pop · vault · wax · root · deal · hand

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. root — the cause
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. root — of a word
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mate — a friend
  10. root — of a plant
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pop — music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pop — soda
  23. hand — help
  24. hide — animal skin

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