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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 116 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: vault · coach · stem · pit · shower · wave · wax · face

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. face — to confront
  5. stem — to come from
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. shower — rain
  8. vault — a safe
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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