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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: lie · tube · mark · drill · wax · vault · land · march

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tube — a container
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. march — music
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mark — a trace
  21. drill — army training
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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