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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: bat · fall · wax · cabinet · ruler · vault · nail · march

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. vault — a safe
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. march — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fall — to drop

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