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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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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: march · wax · tear · swing · jam · fall · safe · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. tear — from crying
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wax — to grow
  7. march — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fall — to drop
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. swing — in golf
  16. vault — a safe
  17. swing — music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. fall — the season
  24. march — the month

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