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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: stem · vault · nail · wax · pound · chair · file · mouse

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a document
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wax — in the ear

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