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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 120 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: wax · bat · pit · race · vault · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wax — to grow
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bat — the animal
  17. race — a contest
  18. stand — for spectators

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