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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: pitcher · field · bound · content · vault · racket · wound · wax

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — to grow
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. content — the amount
  7. field — for sport
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — certain
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bound — obliged
  19. content — happy
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — tied together
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. vault — a safe

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