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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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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: firm · lean · wake · bound · straw · lash · bat · fan

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. firm — decided
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — certain
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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