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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: bat · bore · wave · vault · wax · foot · stick · spring

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. spring — the season
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spring — of water
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wax — to grow
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wave — of the sea

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