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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 116 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: rest · wax · fork · leaves · bowl · vault · fine · drill

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rest — what's left
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. drill — army training
  15. rest — a break
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fork — to eat with

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