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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: kid · wax · bark · stick · net · pitcher · pit · vault

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. net — after costs
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — for catching
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — in sport
  22. kid — child
  23. pit — in a race
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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