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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · nail · face · rash · mine · march · wax · row

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. march — the month
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — for digging
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — the month
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rash — a series
  21. row — to paddle
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. march — music

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