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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.

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: can · bat · pound · pitcher · wax · straw · present · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — to grow
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. present — there
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pound — a weight
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. can — a tin
  18. mate — a partner
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. can — a tin
  24. mate — to breed

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