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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.

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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: track · row · tube · dip · wax · bass · vault · cabinet

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — a container
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. track — a path
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. dip — to sink
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bass — low music
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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