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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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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: wax · bay · game · cabinet · bark · face · club · vault

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wax — to grow
  8. club — for golf
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bark — to shout
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. game — a match
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. club — for dancing
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. club — a group
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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