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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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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: lash · can · bowl · cold · wax · bank · vault · rest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. can — a tin
  11. bank — for money
  12. wax — to grow
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bank — for money
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rest — a break
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. can — to be able to

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