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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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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: hand · wax · vault · staff · pitcher · lie · bound · hide

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bound — obliged
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bound — tied together
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — certain
  24. staff — employees

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