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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · club · lash · mug · fan · straw · rash · bark

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rash — a series
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — for golf
  6. bark — to shout
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. present — the time now
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. present — there
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. present — a gift
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mug — a face
  22. club — a group
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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