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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: cold · wax · charge · court · vault · trunk · tear · pop

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pop — soda
  3. cold — not warm
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wax — to grow
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pop — music
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. court — for sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. court — of law
  21. cold — an illness
  22. charge — a price
  23. pop — to visit
  24. charge — in control

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