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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: wax · dip · ground · track · kick · mark · wind · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — a position
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. track — a song
  11. mark — a trace
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. track — a path
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. vault — a safe
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mark — a grade
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — in football
  23. track — to keep track
  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