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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: bank · bore · field · wax · bass · vault · hide · swing

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bank — for money
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bass — low music
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. vault — a safe
  17. field — a subject
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bass — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. field — farmland

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