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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: wax · game · pass · vault · wind · content · stem · fine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fine — all right
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — to come from
  15. game — a match
  16. content — the amount
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — to grow
  21. content — happy
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pass — to spend time

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