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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: straw · lash · rock · saw · wind · nail · lean · face

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — to confront
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rock — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rock — a stone
  21. lean — to bend
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lean — to rest against

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