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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: wax · foot · snap · spring · scale · capital · swing · vault

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. scale — size or range
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spring — of water
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. spring — the season
  10. foot — a measure
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — in music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. swing — to play on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wax — to grow
  19. capital — money
  20. swing — music
  21. snap — to click
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. vault — a safe

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