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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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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: bay · race · lean · straw · lash · row · band · ball

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. race — humankind
  10. band — a ring
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. ball — a dance
  23. row — to paddle
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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