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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: stick · wax · fall · date · saw · wound · pitcher · hand

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fall — the season
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — the tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hand — help

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