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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · fork · wake · mate · rash · scale · capital · vault

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mate — to breed
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. can — to be able to
  14. capital — money
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — in music
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fork — in a road
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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