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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: straw · track · row · plane · scale · pop · leaves · season

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — a line
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — soda
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. row — to paddle
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — to visit
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. track — a song
  20. scale — in music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. scale — size or range
  23. track — a path
  24. leaves — lets stay

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