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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: vault · cold · wax · leaves · stand · staff · ball · bay

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. ball — a dance
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cold — an illness
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. staff — a stick
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ball — a great time
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stand — to bear

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