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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · hide · pitch · ground · calf · tube · temple · bowl

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — a position
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. tube — a container
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tube — the underground
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. ground — the earth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — in a tire

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