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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: wax · perch · bore · clip · vault · bowl · row · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bore — to tire
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. clip — a video
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. clip — for paper
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fine — all right
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. row — to paddle
  23. vault — a safe
  24. clip — to cut

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