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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: net · pound · vault · pitcher · date · wax · bark · drill

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. drill — army training
  5. pound — a weight
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — in sport
  12. vault — a safe
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — for catching
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. net — after costs
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. drill — a practice

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