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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 120 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: wound · rock · content · pitcher · wake · straw · rush · firm

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. firm — decided
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wake — a trail
  9. content — happy
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rock — music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. content — the amount
  15. firm — a company
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wound — an injury
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wound — an injury
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. firm — steady

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