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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: vault · bound · clip · cap · wax · wound · mark · foot

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bound — certain
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — a hat

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