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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 116 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: lie · trunk · fan · hand · clip · straw · rash · bore

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rash — a series
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bore — to tire
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — a video
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — hasty
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lie — to recline

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