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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: wax · club · kid · bear · fan · spring · vault · date

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — a group
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. club — for golf
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. vault — a safe
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. club — for dancing

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