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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 · cold · lean · rush · bear · straw · pitcher · foot

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bear — the animal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. foot — a measure
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. season — in sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rush — hurry
  24. straw — a straw man

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