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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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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: kick · wax · vault · straw · club · chest · coach · fall

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. vault — a safe
  3. chest — a box
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. club — a group
  7. fall — to drop
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — the season
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for golf
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chest — of your body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fall — to drop

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