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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: plane · fall · saw · spell · content · nail · leaves · straw

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — a tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fall — the season

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