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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: spell · straw · bore · wax · deal · toast · hand · stock

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spell — magic
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spell — letters
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — to handle
  13. hand — help
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stock — goods
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wax — to grow
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. toast — bread
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. toast — the most admired

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