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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a great time
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a dance
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — clever
  19. squash — to crush
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wind — moving air

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