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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: arm · bark · wax · straw · pitcher · season · stick · snap

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to click
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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