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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: racket · pound · last · nail · ground · wax · vault · lean

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — a position
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lean — to bend
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lean — thin
  24. nail — on a finger

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