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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.

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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: club · foot · wax · stick · mate · straw · shower · track

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. track — a song
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — to keep track
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — a path
  13. mate — a friend
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — to breed
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. club — for golf
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. straw — a straw man

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