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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: bay · vault · pop · cold · mark · bowl · wax · arm

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pop — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pop — soda
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mark — a grade
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bowl — to roll

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