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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 116 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: spell · bay · plane · row · straw · wave · leaves · content

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — happy
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. spell — magic
  6. plane — a tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. spell — letters
  10. content — the amount
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spell — a short time
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. row — to paddle
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. leaves — lets stay

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