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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: staff · sharp · pitcher · saw · tube · wax · bank · wound

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. staff — employees
  9. bank — for money
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bank — for money
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. staff — a stick
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bank — of a river
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wound — an injury

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