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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mug — a cup
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mug — to rob
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mug — a face
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. date — the fruit
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — a container

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