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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: track · vault · shower · sharp · cue · press · cell · wax

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. press — a publisher
  3. track — a path
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — to wash
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. press — to push
  14. vault — a safe
  15. shower — rain
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. track — to keep track
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cue — a signal

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