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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: last · vault · track · wax · game · snap · fine · ground

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. last — finally
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. vault — a safe
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ground — the earth
  14. last — final
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. track — a path
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — to go on
  20. ground — a position
  21. track — a song
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. game — a match

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