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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.

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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: pitcher · drill · chip · vault · bound · tear · wax · stock

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wax — to grow
  6. drill — a practice
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. chip — to eat
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bound — certain
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stock — goods

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