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

Word bank: cap · ground · present · tear · mate · vault · wax · saw

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ground — a position
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. present — the time now
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — to grow
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mate — a partner
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. present — a gift
  21. mate — a friend
  22. vault — a safe
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. present — there

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