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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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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 · field · club · fall · racket · bound · wave · season

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — a subject
  7. bound — certain
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for dancing
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — in sport
  14. field — for sport
  15. bound — tied together
  16. club — for golf
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. club — a group
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. season — of the year
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bound — obliged
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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