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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
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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: bat · wax · lie · cap · pitcher · fall · drill · jam

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. drill — a practice
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fall — the season
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — a jug

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