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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: season · straw · saw · board · prune · cabinet · ruler · cell

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — in biology
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — in sport
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. cell — a phone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. board — to get on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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