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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 · lean · staff · rule · temple · wax · track · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. staff — employees
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rule — government
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rule — a law
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — employees
  16. track — a path
  17. wax — to grow
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rule — to rule out
  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