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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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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: wax · staff · straw · wind · face · cell · leaves · rock

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rock — music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rock — a stone
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. face — to confront
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wax — to grow
  24. staff — employees

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