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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · firm · wax · staff · mine · land · vault · pit

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. firm — decided
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bark — to shout
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pit — in a race
  11. firm — steady
  12. staff — employees
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. land — ground
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pit — a hole
  21. firm — a company
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — a stick

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