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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 120 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
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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: last · fan · stick · face · pitcher · lean · band · straw

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — thin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. face — to point toward
  7. band — a music group
  8. last — finally
  9. face — to confront
  10. last — to go on
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. face — part of the head
  18. last — final
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fan — a supporter

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