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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: row · pitcher · degree · staff · wax · stick · kick · lie

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. row — a line
  7. staff — employees
  8. kick — in football
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lie — to recline
  11. degree — temperature
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lie — an untruth

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