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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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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: bore · temple · bear · pitch · vault · wax · bat · kick

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. bore — to drill
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bear — the animal

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