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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.

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: tear · season · wax · staff · leaves · pitcher · mate · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mate — to breed
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mate — a friend
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — employees

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