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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: net · wax · mine · roll · can · season · lash · vault

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — for digging
  10. net — for catching
  11. roll — a cake
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. season — of the year
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wax — to grow
  16. vault — a safe
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. net — in sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. net — after costs
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. can — to be able to
  24. roll — a list

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