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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 116 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: calf · wax · drill · rush · vault · pit · spring · tube

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spring — the season
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tube — the underground
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wax — to grow
  14. drill — army training
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. spring — of water
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pit — in a race
  24. drill — the tool

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