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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: fall · spell · leaves · wax · craft · stick · straw · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. craft — boats
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fall — the season
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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