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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 116 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: vault · root · court · rash · fork · swing · wax · bank

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. court — for sport
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. court — of a king
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rash — hasty
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bank — for money
  14. rash — a series
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. swing — music
  21. court — of law
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fork — in a road
  24. root — of a word

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