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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 120 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: wax · row · object · spring · pit · cap · vault · file

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. file — a document
  4. row — to paddle
  5. spring — the season
  6. object — to protest
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. object — an aim
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. object — a thing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. file — a tool
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cap — of ice
  22. row — a line
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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