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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.

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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: lash · march · trunk · vault · wave · wax · saw · chair

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chair — a leader
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. saw — the tool

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