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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · wound · jam · leaves · season · squash · straw · snap

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. season — of the year
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. squash — the sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. squash — to crush
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. season — in sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wound — an injury

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