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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 120 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: file · cue · bore · vault · season · branch · rush · wax

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. branch — a division
  6. cue — a hint
  7. season — of the year
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cue — for pool
  10. file — a document
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cue — a signal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — in sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. season — to add flavour

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