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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
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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: content · leaves · mate · spell · vault · roll · wax · pitcher

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — a partner
  8. vault — a safe
  9. roll — a list
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. content — happy
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spell — magic
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. content — the amount
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spell — letters

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