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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: mug · season · saw · prune · straw · band · suit · shower

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mug — a face
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mug — a cup
  7. suit — to fit
  8. band — a music group
  9. shower — rain
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — to rob
  17. season — in sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a ring

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