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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: wake · vault · swing · wax · branch · bass · present · straw

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. vault — a safe
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. swing — music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. swing — to play on
  15. present — a gift
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — to grow
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. branch — a division
  20. wake — a trail
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — low music

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