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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · press · band · bark · wax · vault · content · spell

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spell — a short time
  7. press — newspapers
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wax — to grow
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. content — the amount
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. band — a ring
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spell — letters
  18. press — to push
  19. band — a music group
  20. content — happy
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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