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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: sharp · rest · wax · bass · hand · pop · straw · pitcher

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pop — soda
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — the fish
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pop — music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — a jug

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