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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 · land · wax · suit · snap · object · row · foot

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. suit — in cards
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. object — to protest
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to click
  15. object — an aim
  16. land — to come down
  17. suit — clothes
  18. foot — a measure
  19. row — a line
  20. object — a thing
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wax — to grow
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wax — in the ear

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