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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: rush · bowl · spring · cap · straw · season · cell · mug

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — of water
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. season — in sport
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mug — a face
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. spring — the season
  18. season — of the year
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mug — a cup
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rush — to hurry

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