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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: rush · club · chair · tube · spell · wax · vault · land

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — a container
  6. club — for dancing
  7. land — a country
  8. spell — letters
  9. land — ground
  10. club — for golf
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chair — a leader
  18. spell — magic
  19. rush — hurry
  20. club — a group
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wax — for sculpting

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