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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.

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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: spring · leaves · row · cabinet · straw · season · squash · wave

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. spring — the season
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spring — of water
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. season — of the year
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cabinet — ministers

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