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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: vault · game · wax · press · pound · present

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a match
  3. present — a gift
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. present — the time now
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pound — a weight
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. present — there
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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