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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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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: mark · land · pass · staff · tear · straw · content · fan

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. land — a country
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mark — a trace
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — employees
  10. content — happy
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tear — to rip
  13. content — the amount
  14. staff — a stick
  15. land — to come down
  16. tear — from crying
  17. land — ground
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — employees
  24. mark — to pay attention

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