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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: stem · vault · kid · safe · wax · wind

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kid — child
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wind — to turn a key

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