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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: nail · firm · staff · wax · scale · branch · vault · spring

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. firm — a company
  4. staff — employees
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — the season
  8. scale — in music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. branch — a division
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. staff — a stick
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. vault — a safe
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wax — to grow
  23. firm — steady
  24. nail — for a hammer

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