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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 120 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: can · saw · pitcher · bank · march · shower · wax · vault

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — for money
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — to wash
  9. can — a tin
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. march — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — rain
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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