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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: wax · season · prune · spell · wave · vault · hand · bat

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. season — of the year
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bat — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — help
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. season — in sport
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spell — letters
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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