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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: vault · bass · pound · clip · bulb · rush · scale · wax

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. clip — a video
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bulb — for light

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