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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.

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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: dip · rock · vault · spring · coach · saw · shower · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rock — a stone
  12. spring — a coil
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — the season
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. shower — to wash
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wax — to grow

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