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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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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 · bulb · kid · wax · tube · wake · stick · kick

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — a container
  8. kid — child
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. kick — in football
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tube — the underground
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — with a leg

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