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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — happy
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. content — the amount
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cell — a phone
  24. content — videos and posts

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