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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 120 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: wax · perch · staff · wake · vault · mate · fork · cell

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mate — a friend
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wake — a trail
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cell — in a prison

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