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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: straw · wave · charge · leaves · wound · foot · sharp · spring

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. spring — a coil
  9. charge — electricity
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — in control
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. foot — a measure
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — a price
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spring — the season
  24. sharp — exactly

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