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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: mate · spell · bound · chip · wax · vault · deal · bat

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spell — magic
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mate — a partner
  19. spell — a short time
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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