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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · rock · fine · rush · root · vault · perch · content

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wax — to grow
  4. root — of a word
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — the fish
  7. content — happy
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. root — the cause
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. content — the amount
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rush — a thrill

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