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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.

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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: wax · straw · ball · bore · staff · leaves · hand · track

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. track — a song
  7. wax — to grow
  8. staff — employees
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — to keep track
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ball — a dance
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bore — to tire
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hand — help
  24. wax — for sculpting

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