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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: lie · last · vault · season · wax · wind · cue · racket

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. last — to go on
  13. cue — a hint
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. season — in sport
  16. last — finally
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. last — final
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — of the year
  23. cue — a signal
  24. racket — for tennis

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