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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.

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: mug · land · ground · fan · racket · saw · straw · season

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — to come down
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — ground
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mug — a face
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. ground — a position
  22. land — a country
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — a straw man

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