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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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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: fan · rock · temple · bass · vault · field · wax · cabinet

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rock — music
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rock — a stone
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. field — a subject
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. vault — a safe
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — the fish
  20. field — for sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bass — low music
  23. field — farmland
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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