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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.

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: pitcher · chip · bat · temple · trunk · drill · wax · capital

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a city
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — army training
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bat — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chip — to eat
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chip — for betting
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. capital — money
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wax — for sculpting

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