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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: straw · cell · face · leaves · wake · toast · rest · spell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. spell — letters
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. toast — bread
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spell — a short time
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — a phone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rest — a break
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — to confront
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spell — magic
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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