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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: fork · wax · pit · scale · cell · bat · leaves · vault

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. scale — in music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cell — in biology

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