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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: stem · hand · lash · straw · bear · snap · hide · coach

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. snap — to click
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bear — the animal

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