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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 116 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: vault · content · bulb · bowl · kid · wax · rest · field

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rest — a break
  4. vault — a safe
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. content — the amount
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — farmland
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. field — for sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wax — for sculpting

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