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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: racket · degree · bound · wax · vault · last · nail · mine

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. degree — from a university
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — temperature
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. vault — a safe
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. degree — an amount
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. last — finally
  22. mine — for digging
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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