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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: cabinet · bay · stand · roll · vault · tear · wax · court

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. court — for sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. court — of a king
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. court — of law

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