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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: wave · field · tear · rock · vault · wax · mouse · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rock — music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — farmland
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wax — to grow
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — for sport
  24. wave — with your hand

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