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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: track · ground · staff · hand · vault · ball · bank · wax

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — employees
  5. bank — for money
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wax — to grow
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. track — a path
  10. vault — a safe
  11. track — a song
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. ground — a position
  15. staff — a stick
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. staff — employees
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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