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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: wax · swing · stick · nail · vault · chest · wake · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. swing — to play on
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chest — of your body
  15. vault — a safe
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. swing — in golf
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. swing — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — before a funeral

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