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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: nail · lash · straw · hide · spring · rush

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spring — of water
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — the season
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spring — a coil
  18. nail — on a finger

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