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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: vault · wound · pit · ball · wax · press · hide · rule

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — government
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pit — in a race
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pit — a hole
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rule — a law
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. press — a publisher
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. press — newspapers
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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