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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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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: nail · leaves · wax · swing · vault · cold · wind · band

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a ring
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. swing — music
  8. band — a music group
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. swing — in golf
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wax — to grow
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. swing — to play on
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wind — moving air

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