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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: bowl · vault · present · rock · track · wax · current · last

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. track — a song
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. present — the time now
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. last — finally
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rock — a stone
  11. vault — a safe
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. current — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. last — final
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rock — music
  21. current — electric
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. present — there
  24. last — to go on

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