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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 116 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 · bowl · mate · wind · vault · deal

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — to breed
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wind — moving air
  17. vault — a safe
  18. deal — to handle

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