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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: jam · chest · kick · wax · vault · clip · wave · rest

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chest — of your body
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rest — a break
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chest — a box
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — a safe

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