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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 · toast · vault · stock · coach · wax · wound · march

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. toast — bread
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — to grow
  7. march — the month
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a cup
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — goods
  14. march — music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — a safe
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stock — shares
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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