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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 · rash · track · straw · season · drill · lean

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rash — a series
  3. season — of the year
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. lean — thin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. vault — a safe
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. rash — hasty
  12. track — a path
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. season — in sport

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