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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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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: lean · vault · wax · club · field · branch · face · swing

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. branch — a division
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — to bend
  10. club — a group
  11. swing — in golf
  12. field — for sport
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — to confront
  18. lean — thin
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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