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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.

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: leaves · rush · land · straw · spring · file · chair · clip

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spring — the season
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. spring — of water
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spring — a coil
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — a country
  14. file — a tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. land — ground
  20. file — a document
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rush — 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