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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · clip · stand · key · degree · vault · wax · stock

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stock — goods
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. degree — temperature
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. key — the most important part
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stock — shares
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. clip — to cut
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stand — to bear
  20. clip — a video
  21. degree — an amount
  22. key — for a lock
  23. vault — a safe
  24. clip — for paper

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