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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pit — in a race
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spring — the season
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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