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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.

Make a worksheet

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: nail · mine · land · lash · current · wax · bowl · vault

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. land — ground
  3. current — of water
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. current — happening now
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. current — electric
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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