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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: ground · band · calf · prune · bore · vault · track · wax

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. track — a path
  5. bore — to tire
  6. track — to keep track
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. ground — a position
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. track — a song
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — crushed
  20. prune — to trim
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bore — to drill
  23. band — a music group
  24. bore — gave birth

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