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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: key · band · chip · tear · wax · swing · vault · rash

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a music group
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rash — a series
  11. key — for a lock
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chip — to eat
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. band — a ring
  21. chip — for betting
  22. vault — a safe
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — in a computer

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