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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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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: bulb · wax · vault · rest · roll · stick · temple · spring

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. rest — a break
  3. spring — a coil
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — the season
  10. rest — what's left
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — of water
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. roll — a list
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rest — what's left
  23. temple — side of the head
  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