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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: club · charge · field · vault · rock · race · wax · kid

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. charge — in control
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. race — humankind
  11. club — a group
  12. kid — child
  13. field — a subject
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. charge — a price
  17. rock — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wax — to grow
  21. field — farmland
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kid — to tease

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