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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: vault · pop · band · wax · can · fine · board · degree

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. band — a music group
  3. degree — temperature
  4. band — a ring
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — to be able to
  8. degree — from a university
  9. can — a tin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fine — all right
  12. board — a committee
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pop — to visit
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. board — to get on
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — 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