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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: pit · face · saw · wind · wax · vault

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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