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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
468
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: straw · staff · face · wound · bank · pitch · wax · prune

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to confront
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. face — to point toward
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. face — part of the head
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. staff — employees

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