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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 116 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: wind · wave · season · pass · court · straw · cap · trunk

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. court — for sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. court — of law
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. season — in sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. court — of a king
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. season — of the year

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