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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: field · kick · wax · temple · last · tube · hide · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tube — a container
  4. last — final
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. field — farmland
  7. tube — the underground
  8. field — a subject
  9. last — to go on
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. last — finally
  14. kick — in football
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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