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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 120 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: spell · current · wax · nail · vault · pass · cold · net

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. current — happening now
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. net — after costs
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. current — of water
  8. net — in sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. net — for catching
  12. spell — a short time
  13. current — electric
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cold — not warm
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spell — magic
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. spell — letters
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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