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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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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 · clip · vault · trunk · cap · patient · bay · chest

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. clip — a video
  4. cap — a hat
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chest — a box
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chest — of your body
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cap — of ice
  15. vault — a safe
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cap — a lid
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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