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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: perch · prune · key · mate · chest · game · vault · wax

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — for a lock
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — wild animals
  7. key — the most important part
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — in music
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chest — a box
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — the fruit

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