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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: wax · rule · straw · pop · pitcher · object · hand · rock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — help
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. object — to protest
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. object — an aim
  12. hand — in cards
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rock — music
  15. rule — a law
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rule — government
  18. rock — a stone
  19. object — a thing
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pop — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — to visit

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