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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: rock · rest · wax · hand · game · bowl · pitcher · rash

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hand — help
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. game — a match
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rash — a series
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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