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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: rest · lean · track · racket · straw · cap · wave · season

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. season — of the year
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. track — a song
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lean — thin
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rest — a break
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. season — in sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cap — of ice

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