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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 120 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: dip · capital · bear · wax · vault · bark · trunk · pit

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wax — to grow
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bear — the animal
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. capital — money
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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