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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: dip · spring · foot · saw · straw · season · kick · board

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. dip — to sink
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. spring — of water
  10. board — a committee
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spring — the season

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