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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: straw · rash · roll · club · lash · capital · lean · land

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. roll — a list
  5. lean — to bend
  6. club — a group
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lean — thin
  10. capital — a city
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. capital — money
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — for golf
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. roll — a cake
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. capital — a big letter

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