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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: bear · bore · wax · degree · wind · vault

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wax — to grow

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