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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: wax · rash · bear · firm · vault · clip · bowl · land

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. firm — a company
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — hasty
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — a series
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — to grow
  18. land — to come down
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. clip — a video
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. firm — decided

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