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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · bowl · rock · content · stand · season · march · wax

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — to grow
  4. content — the amount
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — the month
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rock — music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. march — music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stand — to bear
  17. season — in sport
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rock — a stone

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