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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · wax · last · bay · track · season · bowl · bass

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. last — finally
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bass — the fish
  9. track — a song
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bass — low music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. season — in sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. wax — to grow
  21. last — final
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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