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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: rush · mine · squash · bark · vault · mark · capital · wax

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. capital — a city
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. capital — money
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. squash — to crush

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