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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: fine · ball · pitcher · wax · kid · trunk · bear · bat

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — to grow
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fine — all right
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ball — a great time
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wax — in the ear

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