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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · jam · mug · straw · ball · wax · board · arm

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a great time
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mug — a cup
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ball — a dance
  13. board — to get on
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — to rob
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mug — a face
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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