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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: cabinet · nail · squash · mine · spring · vault · wax · rock

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rock — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rock — a stone
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. vault — a safe

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