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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: lash · wake · scale · track · tube · patient · straw · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — a container
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tube — the underground
  16. track — a song
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — in music
  19. wake — a trail
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wake — before a funeral

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