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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 116 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 · object · game · bowl · snap · tear · lash · vault

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. object — to protest
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. vault — a safe
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. object — an aim
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. object — a thing
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — a match
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. tear — from crying
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. tear — from crying

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