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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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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: land · toast · bank · root · straw · nail · rest · lash

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rest — what's left
  6. root — the cause
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rest — a break
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bank — for money
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. toast — bread
  14. bank — of a river
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — to come down
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bank — for money
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. root — of a plant
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. land — a country

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