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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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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: wake · vault · kid · cell · date · wax · pitch · foot

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — a trail
  6. date — the fruit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitch — completely
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cell — in biology
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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