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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: kid · arm · bark · wax · game · lash · vault · bass

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. kid — child
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bass — low music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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