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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.

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 · wave · wax · file · court · pound · bound · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. court — of law
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. file — a document
  19. bound — certain
  20. file — a tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. vault — a safe

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