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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · drill · lean · pit · wax · jam · coach · straw

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wax — to grow
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lean — to bend
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lean — thin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. drill — the tool
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. drill — army training
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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