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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: plane · content · wave · present · rash · spring · pop · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — hasty
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spring — the season
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. plane — a tool
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. spring — of water
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rash — a series
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. present — a gift
  22. pop — soda
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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