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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: rush · wax · vault · sharp · squash · cap · drill · file

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — to grow
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rush — hurry
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cap — a hat
  18. squash — the sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. file — a document
  22. squash — to crush
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. sharp — clever

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