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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: stick · hide · lash · foot · saw · rash · straw · spell

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rash — a series
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — letters
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — magic
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — a short time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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