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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: bound · vault · pitch · file · trunk · wax · nail · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. file — a tool
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bound — certain
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitch — completely
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. file — a document

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