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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: hand · saw · chest · cabinet · hide · fall · wax · vault

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. fall — the season
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — help
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chest — a box
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wax — to grow
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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