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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: perch · wax · tube · vault · bay · clip · cue · face

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. clip — for paper
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cue — for pool
  10. tube — a container
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — the fish
  19. vault — a safe
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tube — the underground
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. face — to confront

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