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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: wax · vault · mark · hand · bass · kid · ruler · coach

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. hand — in cards
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wax — to grow
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kid — child
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — help
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bass — low music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bass — the fish
  24. vault — a safe

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