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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: stem · wax · capital · deal · court · vault · bound · chest

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chest — a box
  4. bound — certain
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. court — of law
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bound — obliged
  14. court — for sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. capital — a city
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — of a king
  22. capital — money
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chest — of your body

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