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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 · wax · lash · squash · stick · cold · current · ground

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. current — electric
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. ground — a position
  12. cold — not warm
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. squash — to crush
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cold — an illness
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. current — of water
  24. wax — for sculpting

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