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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.

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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: wax · lie · vault · chest · capital · mate · stick · bark

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wax — to grow
  5. capital — money
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. vault — a safe
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chest — a box
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lie — to recline

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