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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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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: march · dip · stand · lash · straw · bank · shower · trunk

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. shower — to wash
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bank — for money
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stand — to bear
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bank — for money
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. shower — rain
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. dip — a sauce

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