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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.

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: saw · straw · bear · swing · cabinet · season · plane · date

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. swing — to play on
  10. plane — a tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. swing — in golf

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