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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: leaves · rest · wound · pitcher · pop · wax · drill · fall

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — army training
  3. pop — soda
  4. rest — a break
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wax — to grow
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pop — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fall — the season
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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