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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: rush · wax · land · nail · lean · straw · tube · pass

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. land — to come down
  4. tube — a container
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tube — the underground
  8. land — a country
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — thin
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pass — a permit

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