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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 · lean · rest · ruler · wind · row · season · spring

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. season — in sport
  3. rest — a break
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. spring — the season
  9. row — a line
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — to paddle
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. season — of the year
  14. spring — of water
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lean — thin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rest — what's left

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