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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: clip · vault · track · wax · lean · saw · deal · kid

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wax — to grow
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. track — a path
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. kid — child
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lean — to rest against

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