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

Word bank: stick · pitcher · wave · straw · cold · chip · pass · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chip — for betting
  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