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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: chair · spring · object · bay · straw · scale · kick · squash

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. object — an aim
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. object — a thing
  7. kick — in football
  8. squash — the sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. object — to protest
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. squash — to crush

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