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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: rest · present · calf · bank · land · vault · wax · court

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. land — to come down
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rest — a break
  5. bank — of a river
  6. court — for sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. court — of a king
  9. present — there
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — a country
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — to grow
  18. land — ground
  19. present — the time now
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. rest — what's left
  24. court — of law

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