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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.

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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — a position
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. band — a music group
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fall — to drop
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. band — a ring
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ground — crushed

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