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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: lean · mark · spell · file · wax · straw · club · leaves

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. club — a group
  6. lean — thin
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spell — a short time
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spell — letters
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lean — to bend
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. club — for golf
  24. wax — in the ear

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