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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · vault · mark · clip · rash · bulb · capital · wax

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. capital — a city
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bulb — for light
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — a video

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