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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: bass · capital · wax · vault · mouse · deal · pitch · press

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bass — low music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. press — to push
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bass — the fish
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. deal — to handle
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitch — a sports field

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