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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bank · content · wax · march · bass · temple · ground

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ground — crushed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ground — the earth
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — to grow
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — the amount
  17. vault — a safe
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — of a river
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — music

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