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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 116 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: tube · pitch · vault · wax · season · kick · wind · coach

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — in football
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitch — completely
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — of the year
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tube — a container
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. season — in sport

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