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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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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: deal · wax · present · game · roll · vault · chest · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. game — a match
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. present — a gift
  16. chest — a box
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — a safe
  21. present — the time now
  22. roll — a list
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. present — there

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