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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · straw · mouse · wave · lean · hide · chair · season

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spring — the season
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. season — of the year
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — in sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — of water

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