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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: vault · capital · cap · wax · lean · key · fan · band

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — a city
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a music group
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cap — a lid
  19. key — in music
  20. cap — a hat
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wax — to grow
  23. capital — money
  24. key — for a lock

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