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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: shower · wave · squash · season · spring · leaves · plane · jam

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spring — the season
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. shower — rain
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. season — of the year
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. spring — of water
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. season — to add flavour

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