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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
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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: mate · wax · straw · track · squash · pitcher · cabinet · mine

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mate — a partner
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. track — a song
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mate — a friend
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — for digging
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. track — a path
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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