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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 · season · saw · degree · leaves · face · bowl · pitcher

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. face — to point toward
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bowl — to roll

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