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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: lie · spring · track · hand · season · straw · bear · mouse

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — a path
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — a coil
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. track — a song
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spring — of water
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hand — help

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