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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: craft · tube · wax · vault · pound · cell

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — a skill
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. craft — boats
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cell — in biology
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. tube — a container
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cell — a phone

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