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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: vault · content · shower · wax · arm · racket · pop · craft

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pop — to visit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pop — music
  16. content — happy
  17. shower — rain
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — soda
  21. vault — a safe
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — the amount

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