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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: pitcher · bear · lean · wax · straw · wound · rock · nail

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rock — a stone
  4. lean — thin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rock — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wax — to grow
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rock — to move gently

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