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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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468
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: wax · straw · pitch · content · shower · drill · key · hide

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. drill — army training
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wax — to grow
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. shower — to wash
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. key — in music
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. drill — the tool
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hide — to keep secret

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