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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 120 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: wax · stand · club · rest · vault · march · mug · can

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. march — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. vault — a safe
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — a cup
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mug — a face
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — a group
  24. rest — what's left

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