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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · dip · wind · mug · firm · vault · spring · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spring — of water
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spring — the season
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. firm — steady
  9. ball — a dance
  10. firm — decided
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. wax — to grow
  17. vault — a safe
  18. firm — a company
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. dip — a sauce

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