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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — the cause
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. root — of a word
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — to hurry

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