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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: firm · pound · rule · fine · band · cold · wax · vault

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wax — to grow
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. band — a ring
  11. cold — an illness
  12. firm — a company
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fine — high quality
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pound — a weight

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