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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: shower · wax · bat · fine · ball · mug · season · vault

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mug — to rob
  4. shower — rain
  5. bat — the animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. vault — a safe
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mug — a face
  20. season — in sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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