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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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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: press · fork · hide · root · coach · wax · vault · ball

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. root — of a plant
  5. press — to push
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fork — in a road
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. root — of a word
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. root — the cause
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. coach — a trainer

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