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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 · can · current · date · face · saw · vault · bat

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. current — happening now
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. current — electric
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wax — to grow
  21. vault — a safe
  22. current — of water
  23. date — the fruit
  24. face — to confront

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