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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 120 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 · straw · squash · lash · board · saw · perch · present

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — the time now
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — to crush
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — to get on
  10. squash — the sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spring — a coil
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — there
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. present — a gift
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lash — an eyelash

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