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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: pitcher · wind · wax · hand · lean · prune · ball · foot

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to bend
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lean — thin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — help
  24. wax — to grow

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