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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 116 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: chair · capital · vault · bound · deal · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bound — certain
  4. deal — to handle
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — a city
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wax — to grow
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. capital — money

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