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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: leaves · fan · sharp · content · straw · wake · lie · foot

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. content — happy
  3. lie — to recline
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. foot — a measure
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fan — a supporter

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