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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: chair · rest · vault · mug · wax · mate · leaves · field

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. vault — a safe
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rest — a break
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. field — for sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wax — to grow
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — farmland
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. field — a subject

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