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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: field · bowl · vault · bear · wax · rule · straw · bulb

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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 — to roll
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rule — a law
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — a subject
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wax — to grow
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rule — government
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bear — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. straw — dry grass
  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