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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: vault · wax · face · lean · mate · fine · clip · hide

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — to confront
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mate — a partner
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fine — all right
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lean — thin

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