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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: object · snap · cue · chest · wax · vault · tube · stick

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cue — for pool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cue — a signal
  8. snap — to click
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chest — of your body
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chest — a box
  18. object — a thing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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