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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: wave · court · wax · staff · safe · jam · last · vault

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. last — to go on
  5. staff — employees
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. vault — a safe
  8. court — for sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. last — finally
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — of a king
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. staff — employees
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. last — final

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