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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: face · saw · mouse · rest · pop · straw · wound · pitcher

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pop — to visit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. face — part of the head
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to confront
  16. rest — a break
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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