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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · hide · spell · date · saw · degree · craft

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spell — letters
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — a skill
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — a short time
  14. craft — boats
  15. degree — temperature
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. degree — an amount
  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