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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. squash — to crush
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — to paddle
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. row — a line
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — the season
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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