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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 120 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.

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: rash · fine · current · wind · straw · leaves · wound · lash

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rash — a series
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — happening now
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — of water

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