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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: pass · nail · rash · wax · wake · straw · wave · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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