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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: rule · clip · racket · wake · last · cabinet · wax · vault

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wax — to grow
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — finally
  6. rule — government
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rule — a law
  11. clip — to cut
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — a video
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. clip — for paper

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