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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: vault · bore · wake · saw · kid · key · scale · lie

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. scale — in music
  6. bore — to drill
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. scale — size or range
  10. key — the most important part
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. key — in music
  15. lie — to recline
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. kid — child
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wake — a trail

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