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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: mouse · coach · squash · straw · season · wind · leaves · row

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the sport
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. season — in sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — to crush
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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