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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: straw · squash · snap · spring · bark · charge · leaves · stand

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. squash — to crush
  5. snap — to click
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bark — to shout
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. charge — a price
  13. stand — to bear
  14. charge — in control
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. charge — electricity

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