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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 · wave · current · wax · snap · capital · kick · band

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a city
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kick — in football
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. band — a music group
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. band — a ring
  14. current — happening now
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. current — electric
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. capital — money
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. current — of water
  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