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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: bound · face · nail · kick · bowl · vault · wax · capital

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kick — in football
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. face — to confront
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. face — to point toward
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wax — for sculpting

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