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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 · craft · last · wax · pop · straw · mate · content

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. craft — boats
  3. content — happy
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — final
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mate — a partner
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. content — the amount
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. last — finally

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