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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 · staff · chair · craft · rush · wave · net · pound

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. staff — a stick
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — for catching
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. craft — boats
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. net — after costs
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. craft — a skill

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