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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: hand · object · wax · fork · vault · pitcher · tube · kid

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tube — the underground
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. hand — help
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. vault — a safe
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. tube — a container
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. object — an aim
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. hand — in cards

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