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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: vault · wax · cue · cap · cold · bound · degree · fine

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cold — an illness
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — a lid
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fine — high quality
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wax — to grow

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