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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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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: foot · cap · straw · swing · pitcher · lean · wave · mouse

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cap — a hat
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. swing — music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. lean — to bend

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