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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: track · cold · spring · vault · fan · deal · charge · wax

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cold — an illness
  3. spring — of water
  4. track — to keep track
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. track — a path
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — to grow
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spring — a coil
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. charge — in control
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. spring — the season

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