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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · straw · craft · capital · jam · rash · file · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spell — magic
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rash — a series
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. capital — a city
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. file — a tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. rash — hasty
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spell — letters
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. craft — a skill
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. capital — money

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