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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: wax · bear · bass · vault · pit · rest · capital · root

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. capital — money
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rest — a break
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pit — in a race
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wax — to grow

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