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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · game · stem · wax · bowl · arm · ground · nail

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ground — crushed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — to grow
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. vault — a safe
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ground — the earth

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