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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: vault · pass · pop · nail · tube · bat · field · wax

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pop — soda
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — a subject
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pop — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pop — to visit
  18. field — farmland
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. field — for sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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