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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: straw · spell · shower · rash · pound · suit · season · wax

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. shower — rain
  3. suit — clothes
  4. spell — a short time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — a series
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pound — a weight
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wax — to grow
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. suit — to fit
  18. season — of the year
  19. spell — magic
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spell — letters
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. suit — in cards

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