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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: lean · ball · rash · face · club · straw · dip · hand

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rash — a series
  8. ball — a dance
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — help
  11. club — a group
  12. face — to confront
  13. lean — thin
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. dip — to sink
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. club — for golf
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. hand — in cards

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