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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: straw · lash · track · wind · rest · rock · mark · prune

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. track — a song
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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