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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 · cell · pitcher · firm · court · wax · fine · rock

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. firm — steady
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. court — of law
  7. firm — a company
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of a king
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — a safe
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — for sport
  24. firm — decided

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