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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · mate · tube · face · racket · staff · vault · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. face — to point toward
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. scale — size or range
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — employees
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. tube — a container
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — the underground
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. scale — in music
  23. staff — employees
  24. face — part of the head

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