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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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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: cap · wax · fan · vault · straw · mouse · chest · perch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — to grow
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cap — of ice
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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