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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
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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 · sharp · spell · net · shower · leaves · foot · staff

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. net — after costs
  3. staff — a stick
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spell — a short time
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. net — in sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. shower — to wash
  16. foot — a measure
  17. sharp — clever
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spell — letters

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