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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.

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: cabinet · stick · straw · wake · content · ball · spell · fan

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. content — the amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spell — magic
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — letters
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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