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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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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: fall · date · wax · staff · current · stick · rest · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — what's left
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. staff — a stick
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wax — to grow
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. staff — employees
  21. current — electric
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fall — to drop

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