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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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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — the season
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. drill — army training
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. spring — of water
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — in sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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