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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
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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: spell · wax · season · clip · stock · date · sharp · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. season — in sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. spell — magic
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — to grow
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — of the year
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — letters
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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