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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: perch · vault · wind · board · ground · tear · wax · craft

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. craft — boats
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. perch — the fish
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ground — the earth
  12. board — a committee
  13. ground — crushed
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wind — moving air
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ground — a position
  23. vault — a safe
  24. board — to get 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