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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: pitcher · safe · wax · roll · chest · straw · march · coach

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. roll — a cake
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chest — of your body
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. chest — a box
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. safe — a strongbox

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