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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: wax · tear · bank · file · dip · mate · vault · cabinet

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. wax — to grow
  4. tear — to rip
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. file — a document
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tear — from crying
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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