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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.

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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: wax · wake · wind · pitcher · staff · kid · mate · hand

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. hand — in cards
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kid — child
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mate — to breed
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hand — help

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