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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.

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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 · march · cue · spell · staff · wound · saw · lean

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wound — an injury
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lean — thin
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. tear — to rip
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cue — a signal
  20. march — the month
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cue — for pool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wound — an injury

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