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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · vault · mouse · rash · stick · press · wax · mine

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a music group
  13. mine — for digging
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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