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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: vault · wax · swing · rock · race · present

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. race — humankind
  3. wax — to grow
  4. race — a contest
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. race — the arms race
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rock — a stone
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rock — music
  14. present — the time now
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. present — there
  18. swing — to play on

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