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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · face · vault · shower · chest · lie · wax · game

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chest — of your body
  8. shower — rain
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. face — to confront
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. game — a match
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — to wash
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lie — to recline
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. vault — a safe

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