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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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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: tear · bear · net · spring · rest · wax · coach · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spring — the season
  6. tear — to rip
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rest — a break
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — in sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rest — what's left
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wax — for sculpting

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