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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: hand · leaves · spring · perch · straw · date · mouse · rush

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spring — of water
  9. hand — help
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spring — the season

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