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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: mug · dip · vault · snap · stand · spring · wax · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mug — a face
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — a coil
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. snap — to click
  19. spring — of water
  20. content — the amount
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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