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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: pitcher · staff · racket · vault · land · tube · foot · wax

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. land — a country
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. staff — a stick
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — to come down
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — ground

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