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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 116 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: wax · game · fall · sharp · shower · vault · coach · root

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. vault — a safe
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. game — wild animals
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. sharp — clever
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. wax — to grow
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fall — the season
  22. shower — rain
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wax — in the ear

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