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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: straw · bay · shower · coach · season · spring · field · nail

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. field — for sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spring — of water
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. season — of the year
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — in sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. spring — a coil
  18. shower — to wash
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — the season
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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