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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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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: mouse · chair · band · squash · pound · vault · game · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. band — a ring
  3. game — a match
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chair — a leader
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. vault — a safe
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. game — wild animals

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