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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · vault · straw · cell · game · bore · wax · can

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — a match
  6. can — a tin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. can — to be able to
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bore — to tire
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wax — to grow

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