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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: date · deal · wax · hand · band · vault · last · pop

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — to handle
  3. last — to go on
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. last — finally
  8. date — the fruit
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. band — a ring
  12. vault — a safe
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hand — help
  15. last — final
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — to grow
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pop — soda

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