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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: bore · straw · vault · mark · land · board · face · wax

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — ground
  7. face — to confront
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. board — to get on
  11. mark — a grade
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — to drill
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. vault — a safe
  20. board — a committee
  21. face — to point toward
  22. land — to come down
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. land — a country

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