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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 · vault · bulb · foot · drill · ground · bat · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bat — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. vault — a safe
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — army training
  16. ground — the earth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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