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

Word bank: season · row · spring · bear · mug · lean · last · jam

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. last — final
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bear — the animal
  8. row — a line
  9. bear — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. last — to go on
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spring — a coil
  16. season — of the year
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lean — thin
  20. season — in sport
  21. mug — to rob
  22. last — finally
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — the season

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