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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 120 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: trunk · safe · wound · straw · lean · season · spring · march

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — of water
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — thin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. march — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — in sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. season — of the year

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