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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: spring · sharp · mark · pitcher · straw · tear · leaves · foot

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mark — a grade
  3. spring — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mark — a trace
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tear — to rip
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spring — the season
  13. tear — from crying
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. foot — a measure
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. leaves — of a tree

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