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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 · key · can · wax · straw · game · rule · pitcher

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. can — to be able to
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rule — a law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. key — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — a match
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. can — a tin
  21. rule — government
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitcher — a jug

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