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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 · current · season · spell · present · kid · vault · pit

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. present — a gift
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pit — in a race
  5. season — in sport
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. present — there
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wax — to grow
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — of water
  16. spell — letters
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spell — magic
  19. season — of the year
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. vault — a safe
  22. present — the time now
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pit — a hole

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