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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: last · rule · vault · arm · nail · jam · wax · tear

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. last — final
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. last — finally
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rule — a law
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rule — government

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