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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.

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: pitcher · tube · land · clip · nail · net · wax · staff

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — employees
  14. tube — a container
  15. net — for catching
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. staff — employees
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. net — after costs
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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