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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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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: vault · track · wax · wind · chair · lash · bass · cap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. track — a song
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chair — a leader
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. track — a path
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bass — low music

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